This invention relates to a method for the rapid determination of bitumen in the sludge generated by extraction of hydrocarbon oil from tar sands and similar materials.
Bitumen determinations are conventionally made only after lengthy laboratory procedures requiring at least 48 hours. These procedures include a technique of drying the sludge overnight, grinding, weighing, extracting with a mixture of carbon bisulfide, acetone, and methanol or other solvents in a soxhlet extractor, drying and a final weighing. While such a method gives good results it is a very long and tedious procedure. In tar processing plants it is important that bitumen analyses be made as quickly as possible in order that no holdup of sludge treatment occur. This invention provides such a rapid method.